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Green Rings Vol. 1 — Reduce

Like many products, we have a choice about exactly which wedding and engagement rings to buy and where to buy them. Luckily, and at much thanks to the film “Blood Diamond,” there are now quite a few choices of merchants who offer “conflict free” diamonds and other “green” materials, reducing the diamond trade’s toll on both the environment and the local population.

Many of the most reputable sources for these diamonds are — surprisingly — here in North America! The Conflict-Free Diamond Council (CFDC), a not-for-profit organization whose sole mission is to create a demand for certified conflict-free diamonds by providing the information that consumers need in order to obtain a diamond that is conflict free, currently recommends the Government Certified Canadian Diamond (GCCD) certification program and/or the the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct (CDCC) certification program. While mining is mining, and tearing the ground up is certainly never an environmentally “friendly” process, with a Canadian diamond at least you’ll know that the necessary mining was made to adhere to the Canadian Government’s strict environmental and labor policies — policies which are comprehensive and enforced.

You'll feel more secure knowing it came from a mine with eco-humanitarian standards.

Brilliant Earth, a San Fransisco-based leading independent retailer of conflict-free jewelry, calls Ekati and Diavik Canadian diamond mines in Canada’s Northwest Territory “most progressive mining operations in the world,” also suggesting that other forms of industry and manufacturing should try to learn from these two mines’ eco-provements over the current paradigm for mining. This assessment was made not only for the mines’ environmental impact, but also their labor and hiring practices and their integration into the local community. They also recommend Namibian diamonds and a variety of other sustainably- and ethically-collected gemstones, pearls, and precious metals. Check out their website (above) for more information about Brilliant Earth.

If this solution doesn’t fit you, there are still lots of options for going green. Just stay tuned! Learn about more green wedding bands and engagement rings this month in Part Two of this series — Reuse.

Do you have a green idea to share? e-Mail AJ9@SomethingNewEntertainment.com to share. We love hearing from you!